Landslide kills man working to secure rock shelf, others rescued

Adams County, Idaho (CBS2) - A landslide killed a man from Tillamook, Oregon.

The Adams County Sheriff's Office says contract employees working on securing a rock shelf on the Idaho Power road from Oxbow to Hells Canyon Dam experienced a significant landslide on Saturday.

The slide sent "tons of rock and debris" onto a work crew and equipment below.

Deputies from Adams and Baker Counties arrived and found one of the workers was suspended in the air with a boom and bucket to do his work.

The employee, identified as 39-year-old Stacey Keen of Tillamook, Oregon, had been struck by multiple pieces of rock and debris.

He was killed as a result of the slide.

Following the accident, the area around the rock slide was unstable and unsafe.

Idaho Power geologists and OSHA responded to the area to assess the scene and the potential for additional debris slides.

Once the slide area was deemed stable enough, deputies brought in heavy equipment to remove the boom and bucket from the immediate area, and first responders and the Adams County Coroner were able to safely recover Keen.

The Adams County Sheriff says, "Our heart goes out to the family and friends of Mr. Keen."

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